False fingernails - getting them on and off

So many great tips here personally I love nothing more than the experience of getting dressed going to the salon and getting my nails done nothing compares to real professionally done acrylics! On a side note tho they are hard to hide if and when you are not in a position to present female. That's where glue on kiss brand nails come in to play inexpensive great looking and easy to remove definitely a preop mtf musr have!! I've found when I plan to only have them on for a short time only use three drops of nail glue. 1 on the tip of the nail and 1 on each side of the base this will provide you with a sturdy hold but also surprisingly easy to remove with no damage to the nail

Hi,
I get kits from the local boots (approx £5.5) and contains a full set of nails some natural polish and pads.
I wouldn't go for anything too long as quite tricky to use (dont' know how g-girls do it!) Let me know if anyone has tips on wearing longer??
I would always recommend pads and not glue esp if you SO is unaware, as repeat use of glue will amrk your nails and also nails can be diff to remove.
X

I use a similar device to what you describe. Instead of dowels, I just use wide carpet tacks nailed into a 2x4 piece of wood and attach the false nails with rubber cement (Superglue is pretty permanent after a couple of seconds.)

Best,
Melody

* I'm very sorry I misspelled your name in prior posts. Right after my first reply to you I realized my mistake and vowed not to do it again. Unfortunately, my fingers overrode my brain (such as it is) and I did it again. My only excuse is that I've had a decade long e-mail correspondence with a former co-worker who does spell her name Marsha Anne.
Mea Culpa

<p><span style="color: #800080;">Girls will be boys and boys will be girls It's a mixed up muddled up shook up world except for Lola Lo-lo-lo-lo Lola</span> - Ray Davies, The Kinks</p>
<p><span style="color: #3366ff;">(S)he's a walking contradiction, partly truth and partly fiction</span> - Kris Kristofferson</p>

I read about an interesting way of painting false nails sometime ago. This person made a gadget which consisted of a base which was drilled to accommodate small wood dowels. I believe the person used a tiny drop of superglue to hold the false nail to the dowel for painting or I'm sure double-sided tape would also work. The thing here is, someone who is handy and has a drill press could probably make a gadget that would accommodate dozens. Another possible item which could be used is a sewing thread bobbin holder. Seems to me that I have seen some with numerous dowels that could be used for this purpose.
Hugs,
Marsha

"1. Does anyone know if someone has invented a gadget for holding false nails to paint them? and if so where would I get one?"

What I do is use a paper plate upside down on to which I place double-sided tape and then place my nails on to the tape and let it sit for about a minute or so. The n I paint the nails and let them dry for a couple of hours between coats

I buy nails in quantity [like packs of 100] and spend a day doing up a few colours. This way they are all done ahead of time for me to apply at my leisure :)

Actually, I do have one thing I do differently when I use nail polish/lacquer...I start with my left hand nails; I am right handed and find it is easier to start the left side first. Long strokes, and a minimum of 30 minutes before doing anything else. (That's why I like Shiseido's nail lacquers; the stuff drys in about ten minutes or so, and (usually) sets in 15-20 minutes.)

I have used both the "pre-glued" and superglue nails, and my preferences are totally dependant on how long I am going to be in them. If it is more than about 4 hours, superglue works better; it comes in a pink shade and there is a neat form of acetone that removes it all. (I got my bottle from Sally Beauty Suppy...love those folks!) If I am only in my nails for a shorter time--like say, over lunch--then the pre-glued jobs from KISS work well enough.

I haven't found the prestuck tabs in ages. I really need to look harder, I guess. I used to grow my nails out more, but have had to keep them short lately. (But they still have nice tips to them, short as they are.) A good file is worth the investment!

Hi girls,
I was browsing the web this evening and went to www.tgcosmetics.co.uk from someone elses post. they have pack of 60 sticky tabs for nails for just £2.35 here:http://www.tgcosmetics.co[...]ls.html

I must admit I tend to use 'Nailene' self-stick nails available from Boots etc in the UK. Just ensure that your own nails are clean, dry and greasefree before applying. They last up to 3 days and can be used later with superglue. The French Manicure ones look great on!!!!!

Carole, I've heard that, too, but I haven't seen it with my nails. That doesn't mean it doesn't work for others, though. Maybe it works for me, but the staining just isn't that noticeable without it for me to tell any difference. I might have to revisit the whole base coat issue.

hiya,
In reply to one of Stevie's points, I find a clear base coat prepares the nail for a colour, helps smooth the nail, and prevents a colour staining your nail when you come to remove the polish.
Regards
Carole

What a topic and what a huge amount of advice for both real nails and false nails. Thanks for the advice about painting nails after a shower to lock in some moisture, I'll definitely try that as my nails are very dry and brittle.
For those that live in UK getting the sticky pads for false nails can be difficult but if you have a John Lewis near you they stock packs of 60 by Elegant Touch. These work well and will hold your nails for upto 3 days.
I would recommend to anyone get a professional manicure. Its great!! You just sit there and someone else does all the hard work, whilst you chat away....brilliant I get a manicure regularly, always in guy mode. My manicurist is fab, a real laugh and is always trying to get me to wear the most outrageous colours!! I think I'm the only guy who she has as a client and she thinks I'm crazy. My nails now look great, feel stronger and I've managed to stop eating them they look so good.

Life's Too Short Not To.....
Living on Dreams and Custard Creams......
You're Only Young Once...But You Can Stay Immature Indefinitely.....

I have read all the tips you girls have left and they are all very informative. I am trying to grow my nails ab it, or at least trying to get them to a consistent length. I found that shaping them a little means I have less tendancy to break them when doing my boy type activities.

I am now painting my wife's nails at least every other day now, the practice is great and she is slowly moving me on to darker colors which are much harder to make look good. She is also having me practice on my own nails when I can during the day.

Has anyone tried the glue on tips as aposed to the full nails ? These seam like a good solution because you still have most/some of your own natural nails on view. I once had some acrylic nails professionally done, they were great but when they prepare your existing nails for the false ones, they rough up the surface with a file, once I removed the false ones, my existing nails looked awful and it was obvious that they had something done to them. I had this done in the UK by the way, the shop owner was great. I don't remember where it was off the top of my head but it was somewhere in the south, if you want to know, E-mail me and I will work it out for you sissymelanie@sissify.com.

Oh, one other thing, regarding shaking nail polish before applying it... I've never had the bubble problem with nail color, only with clear top and base coats. Of course, those don't need to be shaken anyway, so as long as you don't shake the clear stuff and don't brush too fast on any of the coats, I think you'll avoid the bubbles.

I love to have long nails when I'm dressed because they make my hands look smaller and more feminine. However, it isn't practical to grow my nails long because they would get in the way with so many other activities. I have two answers:

As Jacqui mentioned, the best and easiest is to use false nails which already have glue applied. Having tried several makes, I find 'KISS ONE STEP NAILS' the best, as they contain larger sizes than other makes. You can find these in most Boots outlets. They stick on very well and will lever off so that they can be used several times before they lose their tackiness. Alternatively, a few minutes soaking in warm water will release them, but destroy the effectiveness of the glue. When they finally cease to stay on, I soak them in white spirit which softens the glue so that it can be removed completely. I then have a very nice set of false nails to use with superglue when I am planning something special.

As Jane mentioned, superglue does dry out your own nails and makes them very brittle and prone to cracking. Potentially, you will damage your nails even more by prising off nails which have been superglued to your own. The answer is to use a tub of nailene artificial nail remover or similar. The tub contains a solution which dissolves the nails and has a ridged hollow in which to move the finger up and down. It takes about five minutes per nail, but it removes the nail and the superglue completely.

Finally, make sure that you are wearing all of your jewellery, clothing and make up before putting on the nails. Fastening something like a necklace is almost impossible with long nails. It's also safer to wear hold ups instead of tights because you don't want to put your nails through them when you go fo a tinkle!

even the basic stuff is an eye opener, although it just makes sense once you hear it.

you're regimen just sounds like waaaay tooooo much hassle, plus I'm just lookinhg to stick on some feminine nails for a couple of hours at a time.

As for the sink full of cold water, I read somewhere before about running you're fingers under cold water. But what's the first thing you do when you're done with the water ? Dry you hands with a towel !! bound to mess up you're nails !

i think my problem with the finger prints is down to putting too much on on each coat. i'll have to try and use a bit less wtih an extra coat or two in future.

As for the clear coat of polish first, I've haven't found the nails to stick as well and the glue still seems to stay on my nails.

Jane using 12 rulers and doing 4 sets at once sounds good but I think they'd be bound to fall over too easily and get messed up. I feel safer with the cd case that will stand steadily.
where do you get the cheap mail order nails? I haven't found any cheap on the web.

I had a very brief flirtation with false nails but, as my hands are quite large, I couldn't find any that fitted, particularly on the thumb. Also, no matter how they looked, they always felt false.

Like you I always do my own nails. It's amazing how little extra growth you need to shape into a really feminine nail, especially when polished. Because I always plan my excursions well ahead I'm able to let them grow that little bit extra. Never more than 1/4" and often less. In male mode that just looks scruffy (a style I carry with panache). But when shaped and polished they make the fingers, and the whole hand, look smaller. Brilliant. Now, if only I could stop painting the skin at the side of the nail

Oh, getting back to the original topic, years ago (I'm using that phrase more than I care to hear it ), I tried false nails, just because it was socially impractical to keep my nails long enough to polish without being obvious. While they do make sense for a lot of trannies, I never really liked them. I preferred the ones that were already colored, because painting them was just too messy.

Fortunately, I can now keep my own nails long enough to paint without being blatantly obvious, but I can certainly understand why many trannies aren't in a position to keep their own nails well manicured (in a feminine way). If you have a choice, I think it's much more satisfying to shape and polish your own nails, though.

No, I've never had a professional manicure or pedicure. I just like doing it myself. If you enjoy doing your nails, you don't really need much patience. I realize that many girls just want their nails finished, and they don't enjoy the actual process, but I think it's fun.

I know what you mean about bubbles, but I still shake mine like crazy, because you really should make sure the consistency is nice and smooth. Usually, good nail polish won't bubble up that much, but they all do a little, if you aren't careful. You've got a point about the way I worded it, though. You should always let the polish rest a little after you've shaken it, for that very reason.

I have a lot of different colors, and sometimes, while I'm getting ready, I'll take a minute and shake up all of my bottles, even though I'm not going to use them anytime soon. If you're like me, and you have more bottles of nail polish than most stores, they can set for a long time without use, so that's why I prefer to shake mine vigorously. With Chanel, I really haven't have a problem with air bubbles, except for the clear coat. That's where you have to be careful. You don't want to have two perfect coats of color ruined by a messy top coat.

Years ago, I always used a clear base coat (sometimes a completely different formula from the top coat) before applying color, but I never saw the benefit, so I stopped doing it. Do any of you use a base coat?

But I do disagree with one of your recommendations, or at least the wording of it.

"Shake the bottle well" - If you mean a vigorous shaking I found this introduces air bubbles into the polish which makes a mess of your nails. The polish does need mixing but I hold the bottle horizontally and gently rock it backwards and forwards for a minute or two.

Girl, you must have patience to follow your regimen. Have you ever had a professional manicure?

Jenny, I'm sorry, but I don't know how I missed this topic for so long!

I just let my own nails grow and polish them, but my answers are (same rules apply for toenail polish):

1. No clue.

2. I wait AT LEAST one hour before I use my hands for anything. I try to wait to apply the second coat several hours later, if not the next day.

3. Experience tells me that after one hour, I'm pretty safe. The longer you wait, the better, but after two hours, they won't really get any drier. Even after an hour, if you press down on the polish, it doesn't take much pressure leave a fingerprint impression, so I try to have a movie or two ready to watch when I'm doing my nails (which I'll be doing tonight). Also, being on-line helps the time pass, too. NEVER do your nails right before bed, because even if you think they're dry, you'll probably smudge them in your sleep. I have long hair, and sometimes I ignore my own rule and wake up with fine scratches in the polish where my hair made imprints. If you just painted your nails for one day/night, it doesn't matter, but if you plan to wear the polish for a while, take the time to do it right.

4. No, not really (not enough to matter). If you're in a big hurry, the best thing to do is fill a sink full of cold water and plunge your hands (at least your nails) into the water for a couple of minutes.

5. Cold temperatures are better for drying nail polish. Heat just keeps the polish all sticky. In addition to the sink method, you could also try sticking your hands in the refrigerator or freezer for a few seconds, but that's not very practical.

General Info:

I use two coats of color (on rare occasions, I'll use three, depending on the color), followed by two clear coats. I try to wait two or three hours (if not the next day) before applying the second coat of color, unless I'm in a big hurry, but then I have to be even more careful. I don't ever put the two clear coats on during the same day. If I still have the polish on a week later, I'll add another clear coat to keep it going. Sometimes, especially with toenail polish, you can keep the color looking good for two to four weeks, depending on how fast the cuticles grow out. With fingernail polish, a week or two is really all you can expect (two is very long), because we use our hands so much.

Never apply really thick coats. Use a thin coat to start, even if it looks a little translucent. The second coat will make up for any weakness in the depth of the color, so don't worry. Thin coats dry faster and smudge much less easily. Thick, gloppy coats take forever to dry, and are prone to showing marks/impressions.

Conventional wisdom recommends that you start with a brush stroke in the center of the nail at the base of the cuticle, and paint outward toward the tip of the nail, then repeat the strokes to the left and right sides. I do that, but just before, I'll run the side of the brush along the tip of the nail, to make sure I get the edge covered with polish. Then, the normal strokes smooth it out. I do the same thing with the clear coat, because that helps protect against chips at the tip of the nail (the most common problem area).

Try to plan ahead and do you nails when you know you aren't going anywhere on a given day. That way, you don't have to worry about painting inside the lines, and it's easier to get complete coverage. Later, when you shower/bathe/wash you hands, you can easily rub off the excess polish that got on your skin. If you paint your toenails one evening (not too close to bedtime), then wear socks and shoes all day the next day (especially thick socks), most, if not all, of the excess polish will be rubbed off. Then, wash off your feet, add the first clear coat, and you're looking great.

Of course, if you need a manicure or pedicure right away, you have to be perfect with applying the polish, but if you plan ahead, you'll get better results, and it will be much easier. Once you've got the polish on, act like it. Don't grab things with the tips of your fingers, don't push buttons with the ends of your fingers, don't use your nails to rub the shampoo into your hair (that damages your polish more than anything else), etc. Baby your nails as though your getting paid to keep the polish chipping.

Oh, another tip I almost forgot is to keep you nails moist. The best time to polish your nails is soon after taking a bath or shower, because your nails are nice and moist, and the polish will lock in some of that moisture. The drier your nails are, the more brittle they are. Ideally, your nails should be soft and flexible, so that if you hit them against something, they'll tend to bend a little instead of breaking, as do dry, hard nails. Also, when you aren't wearing polish, use a moisturizer on you nails (any lotion will do), especially when you go to bed.